Dragon Ball Z
Dragon Ball Z is a wildly popular anime. The show is featured on a wide range of products from clothing to backpacks, writing utensils, snacks and games.
In 1996 Funimation licensed the rights to broadcast and produce a new dub for Z, starting with episode 67. They chose to work with Texas voice actors, a move that was successful.
Characters
Aside from the main protagonists of Dragon Ball Z, other characters also play a major role in the franchise. These include extraterrestrial species such as the Namekians (nametsuku Xing Ren, Namekku-seijin), Saiyans (saiyaRen, Saiya-jin) and the Kaiosai (Obi-Wan Kenobi).
A fusion technique of the Namekians involves one Namekian absorbing the energy, strength, memories and even thoughts of another through a process called assimilation. This happens when two Namekians of equal strength agree to fuse and place their hands over each other’s chests. The stronger of the two becomes the host while the other is assimilated into the host’s body.
A female Namek warrior named Cabba (
Episodes
After the completion of the manga, Funimation collaborated with Saban Entertainment to syndicate the series on television and home video. It contracted the Ocean Productions dubbing team to create an English dub, and hired Shuki Levy to compose an alternate musical score for the show. The initial English dub of Dragon Ball Z was heavily edited for content and length; it reduced the original 67 episodes into 53. This version is often referred to as the Ocean dub or Saban dub.
After the end of the original television run, Toei Animation “refreshed” the anime series to eliminate filler material and provide a more faithful presentation to the manga. The resulting DVD and Blu-ray releases include the original Japanese footage in its 4:3 aspect ratio, while Nicktoons broadcasts and Toonami aired the refreshed series in 16:9 widescreen. Toei’s DVD releases also retain the original Japanese opening and ending themes, credits, and eyecatches. Toei’s DVDs also restore Kenji Yamamoto’s original music to its proper credits, although some of his background tracks were replaced for the Majin Buu saga by Norihito Sumitomo.
Animated Movies
Unlike previous film adaptations of the series, this film features a complete storyline and plot that stays true to the original anime. Fight scenes are impressively choreographed and the visuals look amazing. The only downside is that it’s very long and may be a little boring for non fans, but for fanboys it’s one of the best movies.
This movie is a must see for any Dragon Ball Z fan. It’s a pretty good action movie and has an awesome storyline, great fights, cool characters and an amazing soundtrack. The animation is fluid and looks really good, although there are a few issues with the screen sometimes jittering and the occasional blotch.
The only problem with this film is that it’s a bit too long and not all of the fight scenes are as exciting as they could have been. The movie also lacks the charm and humor that made the series so successful, especially in the scenes with Oolong and Gohan.
Manga
Throughout the years, Dragon Ball has become an extremely popular anime with many fans. Its popularity has spawned a large amount of merchandise, such as DVDs, video games and collectible trading card games.
Despite its over-the-top action, the series manages to convey a solid storyline. It has well-animated fighting sequences and emotional moments that make the viewer want to keep watching.
Although there are some inconsistencies between the manga and the anime, these tend to be corrected as quickly as possible. These inconsistencies are usually due to filler episodes that extend fights or censorship that makes the show more family friendly.
The English dub of the original Japanese release of the series is generally considered to be one of the best. The only drawback is the soundtrack, which sounds dated. The soundtrack features songs from the ’80s and ’90s that do not suit the action of the show. It is also not as catchy as the Bruce Falconer score for Dragon Ball Kai.